Yannick Sagbo sent off as Hull go out to Lokeren on away goals

Hull City's Yannick Sagbo, left, shows his dismay after he is sent off in the Europa League tie against Lokeren. Photograph: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images

Hull will not have the bittersweet experience of a full Europa League campaign after their maiden adventure on the continent ended in an away-goals defeat by last season’s Belgian cup winners, Lokeren.

An evening that began with optimism concluded in despair as Hull’s 10 men – Yannick Sagbo was sent off midway through the second period – could not muster a precious third goal that would have sent them through to the group stages.

Progression would have provided an extra six matches before Christmas but, despite the strain that would have put on Steve Bruce’s resources and the primary objective of retaining Premier League status, no one could question Hull’s commitment.

“That’s what playing in Europe is: disappointments, frustrations, the away-goal rule,” Bruce said. “We have won the match and gone out but if I am being honest we haven’t played to the level I expected.

“We made far too many mistakes, gave the ball away far too cheaply and four or five were below the level. It’s disappointing for everybody concerned because it’s the first time the club’s been in it.”

Hull were provided with the perfect start when Maynor Figueroa scooped the ball across the area for Robbie Brady to bundle in a crowd-pleasing, if not aesthetically pleasing, fifth-minute opener. At that stage their first European competition in 110 years of existence appeared to have legs.

The mood was lifted further at half-time when their most recent acquisition, the former Tottenham central defender Michael Dawson, was paraded on the field. Bruce reflected in his programme notes that players of Dawson’s calibre showed Hull’s squad was now “light years ahead” of where it was two Augusts ago.

Things may go positively intergalactic in the next 24 hours, with the Uruguay striker Abel Hernández, who recently turned down Benfica’s advances, likely to become Hull’s first £10m player in a move from the Italian side Palermo. With the fee and personal terms agreed, it is only a matter of securing a work permit for a man with seven goals in 14 international appearances

However, the atmosphere around the KC Stadium became tetchy quickly as Lokeren scored a dramatic equaliser four minutes into the second half. Although Killian Overmeire’s 30-yard thunderbolt of a free-kick was tipped over by McGregor, failure to deal with the resulting corner led to Jordan Remacle arrowing his pinpoint shot into the angle of post and bar.

Parity lasted a matter of moments before Hull were awarded a penalty after Ahmed Elmohamady’s cross was adjudged to have been handled by the Lokeren midfielder Koen Persoons. Brady stepped up to send goalkeeper Davino Verhulst the wrong way but Hull were still one short.

Bruce’s reaction was to throw on another forward midway through the second period but the introduced Nikica Jelavic soon lost his strike partner when Sagbo was sent off for a challenge on the midfielder Giorgios Galitsios.

“It was very harsh, there is no way you would get sent off in the Premier League for that,” said Bruce. “He stays on his feet and doesn’t go over the ball at all.”

The Romanian referee Ovidiu Hategan also felt the heat after scrubbing out an Alexander Scholz effort for pushing, a decision that led to Lokeren’s manager, Peter Maes, being sent to the stands in protest. Cruelly, for Hull, the Belgians also had the final word.